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CNN Live Sunday

Baltimore, Maryland: Hon City

Aired September 15, 2002 - 18:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: There are lots of things that can make a city special. We're talking landmarks or people, sports teams, even a word, or as CNN's Bob Franken explains, even part of a word.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Let's be honest, the people of Baltimore talk funny and they're proud of it and nothing is more Balmer (ph), not Baltimore, Balmer, than the word "hon," as in...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here you go, hon, I'm so sorry about that.

FRANKEN: Many Baltimoreans are so attached to their, how shall we say it, idiosyncrasies that the Cafe Hon is one of the city's most popular restaurant and Baltimore's famous movie directors have helped to spread the word, like Barry Levinson, "Tin Men."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then we would have to find another house to look like their house for the before picture.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that possible, hon?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARRY LEVINSON, "TIN MEN" DIRECTOR: I think in this case, it is so much a part of the language of the city that you have to understand the kind of the rules of the town in a way, you know.

FRANKEN: But then there are those who simply do not like the word. Frank Iula found himself temporarily behind bars after he was stopped by a female state trooper for speeding.

FRANK IULA, BALTIMORE RESIDENT: She never let me finish my sentence. When I said "look, hon" she just, she went ballistic. She went excessive.

FRANKEN: State police insist that even though the charges against Iula were quickly dropped, it was a valid arrest for refusing to follow repeated orders to get back into the car.

MAJ. GREG SHIPLEY, MARYLAND STATE POLICE: This individual became belligerent and called out trooper all kinds of names. Hon was just one of the many demeaning names and expletives that was used against our trooper.

FRANKEN: But it's the word "hon" that has become contentious.

KURT SCHMOKE, FORMER BALTIMORE MAYOR: Call me mister rather than hon.

FRANKEN: Former Mayor Kurt Schmoke says the word is a reminder of the days when he grew up as an African-American in a city that was rigidly segregated.

SCHMOKE: If you lived in Baltimore during the '50s, that is you were raised here, I think you have a reaction that it sort of grates on you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know when someone refers to me that way, I don't kind of segregate myself out as a Black Baltimorean. I'm a Baltimorean.

FRANKEN: The twang is only part of the Baltimore tradition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Battista with a drive to deep left center.

FRANKEN: Babe Ruth grew up in the city. The "Star Spangled Banner" was written here.

FRANKEN (on camera): There is so much history. As a matter of fact, Edgar Allan Poe lived here. He's buried here. But there is no evidence, no evidence whatsoever that he ever quoted "The Raven" as saying "never more, hon."

(voice over): But it wouldn't have been surprising.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, hon.

FRANKEN: Where else but Baltimore would they have an annual Hon Fest? It's a real beehive of activity, which is okay, because when all is said and done this hardly qualifies as a hornet's nest of controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, hon.

FRANKEN: Bob Franken CNN, Baltimore, Hon City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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